Caitlin was still puzzled.
“Before a vampire wedding,” Taylor explained, “the bride is taken to a magical place, to make a wish. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. There is a place not too far from here, where they say that whatever you wish for comes true. It’s our next stop.”
Caitlin knew what she would wish for—but it had already come true. To be with Caleb.
But she didn’t want to disappoint his girls; if this was what was entailed in a traditional vampire wedding, she would go through with it. Besides, she wouldn’t mind seeing more of the island, and getting some fresh air.
Besides, she barely had a choice. In no time at all, Caitlin found herself being dressed by all the girls in brand-new fineries, and whisked, helplessly, out the door.
*
Caleb looked out the castle window from his bedroom, watching with a smile as Caitlin was led out the castle front door, accompanied by all her bridesmaids. He could see the joy in her face, and could see how excited Scarlet was as she clung to Caitlin’s side. It was a magnificent Fall day, and Caleb decided he’d go up to the roof and watch them leave, taking in the beautiful green hills, and the changing leaves. He hurried out his bedroom, down the corridor, and up a stone, twisting stairwell, leading up to the roof.
Caleb strutted across the ramparts until he reached the edge, and looked down and saw Caitlin and the others crossing the drawbridge over the moat.
“Caitlin!” he called out, cupping his hands against the wind.
Far down below, Caitlin turned and looked up, as did the girls surrounding her.
Caleb grinned wide and waved.
“I love you!” he mouthed silently.
She grinned back and waved, silently mouthing the words back. Then she was ushered away by her group of girls.
Caleb stood there, grinning, watching them all go. He couldn’t be happier for her, and he was excited for their upcoming wedding. He knew this was her big girls’ day, and that they’d all be busy preparing for the wedding, going through all the vampire rituals. He marveled at how few preparations the men had to go through, but figured that was the way of things. And frankly, he was relieved not to have to worry about so many details.
Caleb was happy in this time and place. He loved being here, with Caitlin and Scarlet and Ruth and all the others, and he felt relaxed, as if he could let his guard down. The search for the final key was of course in the back of his mind, but he knew there was little that could be done until the new clue’s location revealed itself to Caitlin.
Until then, they could sit back and enjoy. After all, how often did one get married? He was happy to take some time and slow down, and focus on the wedding. He just wanted things to remain the same, to go smoothly, at least until the wedding was over. After that, they could allow their mission to take them wherever it needed to go.
Caleb reflected on all the times and places he’d already been with Caitlin, and he realized, once again, how much he loved her. She had truly become a part of him; at this point, he couldn’t imagine life without her. Once again, he felt a brief pang of anxiety, as he wondered what would happen once they found the final clue. Would they still be allowed to be together? What would their future look like?
As Caleb stood there, leaning against the cold stone rampart in the October morning, wondering if they would ever have a family together, suddenly, there came a voice:
“There you are.”
Caleb wheeled, surprised that anyone else was up here. A part of him immediately recognized the voice, but another part refused to believe it could be possible.
Caleb’s heart stopped as he turned and saw her. Sure enough, it was her. Standing there, not ten feet away, facing him. Looking as intense and passionate as she always had.
Sera.
Caleb was speechless.
She took a few, deliberate, steps forward, smiling crookedly.
“Miss me?” she asked.
Caleb started to answer, then stopped. He had no idea what to say. He was at a total loss for words. How could she possibly do this? Appear here, and now, at this time and place? When his wedding was just hours away?
Then again, he realized he shouldn’t be surprised. She’d always had a way, as long as he’d known her, of appearing at the worst possible moments, of ruining anything and everything good in his life.
He felt his frustration building.
“You don’t have to answer,” Sera continued, getting closer. “I can sense it. You miss me terribly.
But you don’t have to worry any longer: I’m here now.”
She took a few more steps forward, and then reached up to lay a hand on his shoulder, putting on her most seductive look.
Caleb took a step back and let her hand fall in the air, not wanting to be touched by her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.
She slowly shook her head.
“That’s the Caleb I always knew,” she said. “Still playing hard to get. Still afraid to let your feelings for me be known. But that’s okay. I know how you truly feel.”
“You must leave, Sera,” Caleb responded. “I’m sorry that you came, but you are not welcome here. This is our time now. Caitlin’s time, and my time.”
Sera scowled.
“Don’t say her name in front of me,” she spat. “She doesn’t count. You know that. You merely turn to her because you cannot have me. I know that you long for me.
“I’ve arrived, before your wedding day, to save you from what you don’t really want. This is your chance. Your last chance, before you make the biggest mistake of your life. Come back to me. To our home, to France. We will start a new family. We will be happy, like we’d been before.” Caleb shook his head, amazed at how deeply she still lived in fantasy, especially after all these years.
“I am truly sorry,” he began, “but I have not loved you for centuries. I thought I made that clear. I’m not playing a game. I’m not playing hard to get. I sincerely do not have feelings for you anymore. So I ask respectfully that you leave me now. And that you do not return.”
“Then you admit you had feelings for me once?” she asked.
Caleb thought about that. “Once. Centuries ago. Lifetimes ago.” She smiled. “That’s all I needed to hear. If you had feelings for me once, you can have feelings for me again. After all, I have not changed.”
“But I have,” Caleb answered. “I’m not the Caleb that you once knew. I have grown, and changed. Caitlin has changed me. I love her now. I really do. And I will marry her. I look forward to marrying her. And nothing that you can say or do will ever make a difference.”